Healthcare in Latvia, and what it costs without cover

Latvia runs a mixed system: a tax-funded public side managed by the National Health Service (Nacionālais veselības dienests), and a fast-growing private sector that most nomads end up using.

Public care is universal for citizens and registered residents, but it comes with long waits for non-urgent appointments and specialists, and Latvian is the working language, so communication in state hospitals can be hard if you do not speak it. For day-to-day care, foreigners overwhelmingly go private and either pay out of pocket or run a local private plan on top of their travel or international policy.

Private clinics in Riga

English is far easier to find in private clinics in Riga, which are set up for internationals and have short waits. Names nomads use include Veselības centrs 4 (VC4), Capital Clinic Riga and Clinic ARS for GP and specialist visits. For anything serious, the big public hospitals are Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, the largest and most advanced in the country and the only one doing organ transplants, and Rīga East Clinical University Hospital. The emergency number is 112 for any emergency, and 113 reaches the ambulance service directly. Pharmacies (aptieka) are widespread in cities and pharmacists often speak some English.

For short visits, Latvia is in the Schengen area, so US, British, Canadian and Australian travellers enter visa-free for 90 days in any 180-day period.

The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) is now operating at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is expected to start later in 2026 but is not yet required. Travel insurance is not a legal entry condition for visa-free tourists, though going without cover in a country with these tick risks is a poor bet.

Digital Nomad Visa

To stay and work remotely, Latvia's Digital Nomad Visa is a long-stay (category D) visa created by a 2022 law. It is open only to people working for, or owning, a company registered in an OECD member state (the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan all qualify), with a certificate showing at least six months of prior employment with that employer. The official income test is 2.5 times Latvia's prior-year average gross wage, which the migration authority (PMLP) currently puts at €4,213 a month. Insurance is mandatory: a health policy valid in Latvia and the Schengen states, covering the whole stay, with the insurer's minimum liability limit no lower than €42,600 and covering treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation. The visa is granted for up to one year, the state fee is €90 (or €180 expedited), and it carries no right to take a local Latvian job. Full detail is on the Latvia digital nomad visa page.

• Tick-borne encephalitis. Latvia has one of the highest TBE rates in Europe, endemic countrywide including around Riga, so consider the vaccine and check yourself after forests and grasslands.
• Ticks carry Lyme too. There is a vaccine for TBE but not for Lyme disease, so cover up, use repellent, and remove ticks promptly from spring through autumn.
• Unpasteurised dairy. A minority of TBE cases come from raw, unpasteurised milk and cheese, so skip those if you are not vaccinated.
• Dark, cold winters. Winters are long, icy and short on daylight, which raises the odds of slips and winter driving incidents.
• Old Town scams. Riga is safe overall, but pickpocketing and bar or nightclub scams (spiked drinks, inflated bills) target tourists in the Old Town, especially in summer.